The association between nostalgia, nature and disenchantment has been and still is a very common trope in cultural and literary studies (Saler 138) within the scope of modernity. In fact, it has almost become “a cliché of our time” (Saler 138) in which people often view modern experience as an oppressive status of disillusionment rather than a liberating condition of enlightenment. Since this thesis aims to open up and point at different dimensions of modernity and become “part of a grandiose modernist project yet to be finished” (Hu 23-4), I would like to use Miyazaki’s works to argue that modernity is never a simple, one-sided condition of being ‘disenchanted’ as proclaimed by many scholars. In order to pinpoint some of the contradictory impulsions and potentialities of the experience of modernity, this thesis would first start with a brief overview on the ideas of ‘disenchantment’ and ‘nostalgia’ and their relations to the experience of modernity. The second part would be a general introduction to Miyazaki’s anime, briefly introducing his works in terms of style, content, characterization and such. In particular, I would like to point out how Miyazaki’s works have created alter-tales about disenchanted modernity by showing the multiple facets of modern life and exploring the possibility to (re)enchant modern experiences through his childlike protagonists and the fantastical form of anime. Part three to five would be comprehensive textual analyses about Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986), Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984) and Spirited Away (2001) respectively, examining their relationships with and responses to the ambivalent experiences of modernity. The concluding part of this thesis would reflect on the contribution as well as the limitation of my research in regards to the writing of modern experiences and the ongoing modernist project. / published_or_final_version / Literary and Cultural Studies / Master / Master of Arts

This exploratory study follows existing theory and analysis of mass media product and its audience analysis. It aims to analyse how audience members utilise a popular anime in Japan for their construction and reconstruction of sense of self, which is referred to as socialisation. Academic research has increasingly shed light on audience members??? socialisation by utilising mass media products in encompassing academic fields such as media studies, communication studies and cultural studies. It is widely agreed that the content of mass media products play a significant role in their socialisation. This study takes up a Japanese anime, Mononoke Hime as a sample case for investigating audience members??? socialization. Through the analysis of reactions of audience members to Mononoke Hime, it will be investigated how audience members interpret the anime reflecting one???s experience in the society relating the experience to the content of Mononoke Hime. It will be clarified that the audience members of the anime construct and reconstruct their sense of self, morals and values in the society, that is, they utilize the anime as a facility for their socialization. The data of this study are collected comments which are compiled in a published magazine and private comments posted on Internet sites. 133 comments in the magazine and 32 comments on Internet sites are selected for the analysis. The data were analysed by two analytical approaches. The first analysis is to see how the consulted viewers established their relationship with the anime, while the second analysis is to see how the viewers depicted and interpreted the content of the anime. This study concluded that the consulted audience members show high level of ideological involvement with the anime; they depict parts of the anime relating to their experience in the real life and talk the anime seriously rather than playfully enjoy it as an entertainment. By analysing the comments of consulted audience members, it is also revealed that the audience members take characters of the anime as a role model both in cross gender and gender based ways.

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences / Department of Communication

This paper examines the background, development and production of the film ‘Songs of the immigrant bride’ and explains the general decisions made throughout the creation of the film. It proposes the idea that visuals, combined in an abstract narrative with music/sound, can create a language outside that generally accepted in real-time film (generally) and animation (specifically) to create a communicating ‘mythopoetic’ film-style from combined, selected elements, of both genres. Some of the issues presented and examined are: how relevant background experiences and influences directed the image-making in the production of the film; the experimental use of symbols and metaphor for an ‘evocative’ narrative in both visuals and sound, and the use of these within the film; the relevance of the theme of journey to viewers of the film; the part played by ‘Chance’ as an accepted phenomenon in shaping the direction of the film; production considerations, other than those of image and sound, to enhance audience perception and understanding of the film; ‘understanding’, as a physical as well as an intellectual phenomenon / Master of Arts (Hons)

The animated film in Canada has come of age and may be regarded as a distinct genre in Canadian cinema. Animated films produced in Canada can now be ranked with the works of other artists, including docudrama films. In this study, we show that, during their formative periods, Canadian authors of animated films shared a number of preoccupations with their fellow Quebec literary and pictorial artists, and cinematographers, the most important of which was a commitment to social protest. / This study is a detailed analysis of some 250 short animated films produced at the National Film Board between 1950 and 1984. In their choice of themes, frequent didactic stance and experiments with image and sound, almost all animated film creators are seen to be engaged in questioning the status quo and/or calling for social and political change. Their films might be best characterized as exploratory, informative and persuasive. The analysis permits us to further classify the films as contributions made by Canadian men or women, English- or French-speaking animators, and foreign guests. / In this study we have paid particular attention to the historical, esthetic and socio-cultural influences on the development of the contemporary animated film in Quebec during the different stages of its evolution.

Final Project (M.A.)--John F. Kennedy University, 2006. / "July 18, 2006"--T.p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 70-73).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1971. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 289-310).

Thesis (M.S.)--Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, 2007. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 46-03, page: . Adviser: David Kintsfather.

Thesis (M.S.) in Human Development--University of Maine, 2008. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 47-48).